Last Updated Mar-03-2018. We expanded the buying guide and the explanation about the distortion effect. We also re-arranged the list with the recommended models accordingly.

Are you looking to invigorate your sound with some wild and dirty distortion? Your guitar’s amplifier just isn’t doing enough for you? If you’re an avid fan of various rock iterations all the way up to heavy metal, or anything in-between, then you are going to like this.

Table Of Contents

We’ve carefully reviewed some of the most popular distortion pedals on the market, ranging from new modernized iterations to classic remakes. The list is rich with variety of effects, take your pick and if you’re practicing at home, use them with moderation or you’ll anger some of your neighbors.

10 Best Distortion Effect Pedals:

Image

Guitar Pedal / Rating

Summary

Check Price

+-

Electro Harmonix Nano Big Muff

Total of 4.92/5

Classic Big Muff Pi tone packed into a smaller, more flexible design.

+-

MXR M75 Super Badass Distortion

Total of 4.80/5

Fully analog distortion that brings an impressive range of tones and gain.

+-

Wampler Plextortion

Total of 4.65/5

Wampler's take on the legendary Plexi tone packed in a versatile platform.

+-

Pro Co RAT2 Distortion Pedal

Total of 4.68/5

RAT2 is another classic stompbox that brings impressive performance and abundant flexibility.

+-

MXR M104 Distortion +

Total of 4.68/5

Very light distortion that caters to Rock, but brings high quality tone.

+-

Boss DS1

Total of 4.63/5

Quintessential distortion pedal used both by legendary guitar players and the masses.

+-

EarthQuaker Devices Hoof

Total of 4.58/5

Handmade design that brings one of the most refined distortions available today.

+-

Electro-Harmonix SOULFOOD

Total of 4.63/5

One of the best and only Klon Centaur clones on the market.

+-

Xotic Effects SL Drive

Total of 4.57/5

More refined affordable dist box that brings great performance and limited versatility.

+-

Behringer Super Fuzz SF300

Total of 4.45/5

Affordable fuzzy distortion that brings quality you rarely find in this price-range.

Electro Harmonix Nano Big Muff

When it comes to distortions and overdrives in general, there were certain pedals which had a massive impact on the industry. One of the is definitely the Big Muff Pi from Electro-Harmonix. It was that good that a lot of modern stompboxes are based on its legendary circuitry. Yet, the original is still holding up. Nano Big Muff is a compact version of the original design, but it’s every bit as potent and capable. The pedal features three controls, a very sleek looking enclosure, and brings a thunderstorm.

If you are looking for large amounts of gain, this bad boy delivers that in abundance. With that said, the gain is not raw and chaotic. On the contrary, it is very controllable and easy to work with. The pedal offers a lot of range, which is something you have to appreciate. Once you plug it into your signal chain, you can go anywhere from a very saturated dirty distortion to a more contained one with a turn of a knob.

MXR M75 Super Badass Distortion

MXR’s ability to produce refined pedals didn’t end even when they were acquired by Dunlop. M75 Super Badass is a great example of this policy. The name is appropriate, to say the least. To put it in simple terms, you get a very hot distortion pedal that can deliver vast amounts of gain on demand, but there’s one important feature.

This thing comes with a three-band EQ. That maybe doesn’t sound all that important, but once you start tweaking the tone, you realize just how much it means to have this feature. Speaking of tone, Super Badass is all over the place. You can dial in a great rock tone full of slight overdrive goodness, or you can go all out and saturate that signal with a very crisp distortion. The choice is yours. One great thing about this pedal is the fact that you’ll never feel like your tone is shallow or too muddy. All it takes is a tweak of the EQ to get any imperfection sorted out.

Wampler Plextortion

Wampler’s Plextortion is a unique piece of work, as always manufactured with care and style, meant to cater to distortion lovers as well as those of you who prefer the famously classic “plexi” sound – which was heavily popularized in the 80’s. This pedal features TrueBypass, capacitors/resistors offering immaculate responsiveness, in a simple to use interface that won’t cause troubles for anyone; it shows how the manufacturers think everything through before releasing it upon us.

The controls on this pedal offer Treble, Mids, Bass, Volume and Gain knobs. Vintage and Modern types switching are also featured on this overdrive pedal, offering Lighter/Darker tuning, which can also be witnessed on the Dual Fusion Overdrive. This masterpiece is reminiscent of the Pinnacle, aiding in sound reproduction equal to the likes of Guns’N’Roses, AC/DC and much more. The controls by themselves provide extremely varying refinement choices, which guarantee remarkable end results and a continuously overwhelming feeling.

Pro Co RAT2 Distortion Pedal

Today’s distortion effect market is full of great modern designs, but some vintage ones as well. One of the latter which really withstood the test of time is the Pro Co RAT2. This thing is old school in every way imaginable. The enclosure it comes in is reminiscent of the time when effects pedals were just becoming a thing, and the tone it offers is simply on a level of its own. For these reasons, RAT2 has found its way onto many popular musician’s pedalboards.

One glance at the control panel tells you its a very simple pedal to use. Back when it was designed, simplicity was the name of the game. Even though it gives an impression of a somewhat limited stompbox, RAT2 packs a lot of range in terms of distortion. You can adapt it to a gentle rock sound, or a more sinister metal tone with ease. On top of all that, Pro Co RAT2 is one of the most affordable iconic distortion boxes available today.

MXR M104 Distortion +

MXR M104 Distortion+ is a very strange beast. The pedal offers one of the most authentic distorted tones you can get, and it has been doing so for numerous decades. What makes it strange is the fact that it’s a germanium based distortion. Use of germanium is a tell-tale mark of an old school fuzz box, but M104 isn’t really a fuzz pedal. This odd combination results in a very interesting tone which offers a lot of range. In a sense, you can go from a heavier overdrive all the way to a fuzzy distortion tone.